No matter the endeavor we’re engaging in, we can all agree that having proper focus is essential. It’s hard to get anything done when we’re constantly getting distracted, whether by noisy coworkers in our environment, the email notifications that keep popping up, or thoughts of everything else we could and should be doing. Without undisturbed concentration, we risk ending the day having gotten nothing done but answering everyone else’s emails and managing a few stress breakdowns (been there, done that…).
If you’re like many high performers, you’ve tried all of the newest techniques to help you focus your attention through the entirety of your workday. You’ve tried the Pomodoro method, you’ve made your environment one that eliminates distractions, and you listen to Binaural Beats regularly. Although these techniques can be helpful, they consider concentration as something that only takes place in the brain. The truth of the matter is, our brain relies on several underlying factors to be able to sustain attention, and when these processes are impaired in any way, no focusing techniques are going to help us. In this article, I’m going to be discussing 3 reasons that you can’t focus that aren’t all in your head.
Structural Changes in the Frontal Lobe
The frontal lobe is the part of your brain that is responsible for your executive functioning. Things like making decisions, thinking logically, managing your emotions, and of course, being able to pay attention. When the frontal lobe is unable to function properly, these processes are damaged as well, leaving us with wandering attention (and maybe some not so logical decisions..). For many of us, we’re familiar with this occurrence after a few cold ones, as alcohol impacts the frontal lobe which is why we make some questionable decisions when we’re a few sheets to the wind. But excessive drinking isn’t the only thing that can wreak havoc on our frontal lobes. Studies have shown that individuals who had any of the risk factors associated with Metabolic Syndrome had volume loss in their frontal lobes, which correlated with worse attention and concentration, among other cognitive deficits (Yates et al., 2012). These risk factors include abdominal obesity, elevated triglycerides, high HDL cholesterol, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar. These risk factors can all lead to increased stiffness in arteries, especially the carotid artery which is the main blood source for the brain. When there’s stiffness in this artery, the brain receives less blood, and therefore less oxygen and nutrients. This leads to cell death in places like the frontal lobe, and thus, worsened ability to concentrate. What’s even scarier? Only about 12% of the American population is optimally metabolically healthy. Meaning, 88% of us might be at risk for frontal lobe deficits and troubles concentrating, and we don’t even know it! (Araujo, Cai, & Stevens, 2018).
Neurotransmitter Defects
Neurotransmitters are the “messenger molecules” of our neurons. They allow our brain cells to send signals back and forth with one another when we’re engaging in a cognitively demanding task, like concentrating. The neurotransmitters involved in the process of attention include: acetylcholine, dopamine, norepinephrine, and GABA (Burk, Blumenthal, & Maness, 2019). The presence, and effectiveness of these neurotransmitters rely on several underlying processes, two of which we’ll touch on today; a healthy gut microbiome and proper nutritional status.
Neurotransmitters are created by amino acids, the “building blocks” of the protein that we consume. The brain requires a continual supply of amino acids in order to manufacture these neurotransmitters. But protein isn’t the only requirement. The synthesis of neurotransmitters involves several different micronutrients as well. For example, vitamin B1 is needed to synthesize acetylcholine and GABA, and vitamins B6 and B9 are necessary to synthesize dopamine (Tardy et al., 2020).
Obviously, it’s important that these neurotransmitters are built, so let’s talk about how this happens. Our gut is home to trillions of microorganisms together called the gut microbiota. These microbiota serve several functions in the body, one of which is to synthesize neurotransmitters. Certain species of microorganism strains manufacture certain neurotransmitters (Oriach et al., 2016). Of course, the presence of these microorganism strains and their ability to synthesize neurotransmitters accordingly relies on a healthy gut flora.
Inflammation
Something we commonly think about only when it relates to autoimmune diseases or painful joints, inflammation is our immune system’s response to injury or illness. This redness, swollen, and painful condition not only impacts our body, but it can impact our brain and our attentional processes as well. Some studies have shown that in healthy subjects, consuming a diet that caused inflammation in their bodies impaired their ability to concentrate after only 5 or 7 days! (Holloway et al., 2011, Edwards et al., 2011).
Inflammation causes damage to the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB), a protective barrier that surrounds our brain and, when all is working as it should, keeps toxins and other foreign invaders out of the Central Nervous System (CNS). However, when we have chronic inflammation, the BBB becomes damaged, which allows toxins to enter into the CNS, and disturb our brain functioning (van Dyken & Lacoste, 2018). Inflammation can also impact our “alertness”, a key component in our ability to focus. When we experience chronic inflammation, the part of the brain that allows us to reach a state of “alertness” is particularly affected, which may cause us to experience a decreased ability to focus (Balter et al., 2019).
What’s Underlying YOUR Concentration Troubles?
These are 3 of the culprits when it comes to trouble focusing, and in most cases, it is a combination of them all! In fact, in many of my clients who come to me struggling with the ability to concentrate, we find that their concerns are rooted in their guts, their risk factors for metabolic syndrome, and their low-grade chronic inflammation. This is why it’s so important to work with a coach who understands not only the “surface level” problem, but the underlying physiological conditions that their concerns are rooted in. For lasting change and improved mental performance, it is necessary to determine what the physiological imbalances are, and work to address them.
If you struggle with the ability to concentrate, and you suspect that it might be rooted in the above three conditions, I can help. Sign up for a FREE 30 minute coaching session with me to discuss what your root causes might be, and how you can start right away towards improving them and reaching your mental performance Peak. To sign up for your free session, click here!
I hope this post was helpful for any of you who are struggling with your concentration, and that it empowers you to ditch the concentration games, focus apps, and weird noises and get to the actual cause behind your symptoms.
References
Araújo, J., Cai, J., & Stevens, J. (2019). Prevalence of Optimal Metabolic Health in American Adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009–2016. Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders, 17(1), 46–52. https://doi.org/10.1089/met.2018.0105
Balter, L. J., Bosch, J. A., Aldred, S., Drayson, M. T., Veldhuijzen Van Zanten, J. J., Higgs, S., Raymond, J. E., & Mazaheri, A. (2019). Selective effects of acute low-grade inflammation on human visual attention. NeuroImage, 202, 116098. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116098
Burk, J. A., Blumenthal, S. A., & Maness, E. B. (2018). Neuropharmacology of attention. European Journal of Pharmacology, 835, 162–168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejphar.2018.08.008
Edwards, L. M., Murray, A. J., Holloway, C. J., Carter, E. E., Kemp, G. J., Codreanu, I., Brooker, H., Tyler, D. J., Robbins, P. A., & Clarke, K. (2011). Short-term consumption of a high-fat diet impairs whole-body efficiency and cognitive function in sedentary men. FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, 25(3), 1088–1096. https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.10-171983
Holloway, C. J., Cochlin, L. E., Emmanuel, Y., Murray, A., Codreanu, I., Edwards, L. M., Szmigielski, C., Tyler, D. J., Knight, N. S., Saxby, B. K., Lambert, B., Thompson, C., Neubauer, S., & Clarke, K. (2011). A high-fat diet impairs cardiac high-energy phosphate metabolism and cognitive function in healthy human subjects. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 93(4), 748–755. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.110.002758
Oriach, C. S., Robertson, R. C., Stanton, C., Cryan, J. F., & Dinan, T. G. (2016). Food for thought: The role of nutrition in the microbiota-gut–brain axis. Clinical Nutrition Experimental, 6, 25–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yclnex.2016.01.003
Tardy, A. L., Pouteau, E., Marquez, D., Yilmaz, C., & Scholey, A. (2020). Vitamins and Minerals for Energy, Fatigue and Cognition: A Narrative Review of the Biochemical and Clinical Evidence. Nutrients, 12(1), 228. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12010228
van Dyken, P., & Lacoste, B. (2018). Impact of Metabolic Syndrome on Neuroinflammation and the Blood–Brain Barrier. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2018.00930
Yates, K. F., Sweat, V., Yau, P. L., Turchiano, M. M., & Convit, A. (2012). Impact of Metabolic Syndrome on Cognition and Brain. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, 32(9), 2060–2067. https://doi.org/10.1161/atvbaha.112.252759